Fears of potentially losing money at some point in the future should not stop the Federal Reserve from providing aggressive support to the economy now, a top Federal Reserve official said.

In an interview, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams sought to counter the rising anxiety about the longer-run implications of the Federal Reserve’s massive and growing balance sheet. The “primary” consideration for the Fed right now should be what helps the economy, rather than avoiding some theoretical risk of losing money down the road, Mr. Williams said.

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